An assembly of an insulative body and electrical contacts can be accomplished by an injection moulding apparatus. The apparatus includes moulding dies that close against each other and enclose a cavity that is partially in both dies. An internal shape of the cavity forms a fluent insulative substance to a desired external shape of the body. The apparatus holds the contacts stationary, as the fluent substance is injected into the cavity, and as the substance flows to surround the contacts, and as the substance become solidified to form the insulative body. The stationary electrical contacts become imbedded in the solidified substance. If cavities are desired in the solidified substance, devices known as core pins project into the cavity as the fluent substance is injected and as the substance is solidified while surrounding the core pins. Following solidification of the substance, the core pins must be withdrawn, the moulding dies must be opened by being separated from each other, and the assembly of the insulative body and the contacts must be ejected from the apparatus. A disadvantage of injection moulding is attributed to; difficulty in assembly of the contacts in the moulding apparatus, difficulty in maintaining the contacts stationary, obstruction to flow the fluent substance because the contacts are obstructions in the moulding cavity, and difficulty in avoiding damage to the contacts upon withdrawing the contacts from the moulding apparatus.
The cost of moulding is reduced if the insulative body is moulded with empty cavities that later receive corresponding contacts. For example, a known electrical connector assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,666,231 as having a conductive shell enclosing an insulative body, and further having electrical contacts assembled within corresponding cavities of the insulative body. The body and shell fit within each other with a sliding fit. An insulative pin is located in a channel of the body and an aperture in the shell to resist sliding movement of the body and shell. The contacts have thin elongated portions that fit within corresponding cavities with a sliding fit. Portions of the contacts that project from the cavities are bent transversely of their lengths to register within recesses that intersect the cavities, thereby to resist sliding movement of the contacts. A disadvantage associated with assembly of the contacts is; sliding movement of the assembled parts must be resisted by a pin or by bending the contacts after insertion of the contacts.